WEBVTT SOLEDAD: A BATTLE, PLAYING OUT IN THE HILLS OF NORTH DAKOTA, IS PITTING HUNDREDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES AGAINST PIPELINE PROGRESS. THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE, ALMOST 11-HUNDRED MILES LONG, RUNS THROUGH FOUR STATES, FROM NORTH DAKOTA TO ILLINOIS. THOUGH 60% COMPLETE, THIS PART OF THE PIPELINE, SOUTH OF BISMARCK, IS AT ISSUE. THE PIPELINE IS BEING INSTALLED, UNDER THE MISSOURI RIVER, A MAIN SOURCE OF WATER FOR THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS TEMPORARILY PUT THE PROJECT ON HOLD. STILL, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE DESCENDED ON THE REGION TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE TRIBES. MATTER OF FACT CORRESPONDENT JESSICA GOMEZ HAS OUR STOR JESSICA: THOUGH QUIETER NOW THAN IN RECENT DAYS THEY ARE STILL ARRIVING, SOMETIMES ENTIRE FAMILIES. SETTING UP THEIR TENTS AND ROLLING UP THEIR SLEEVES TO HELP. >> THIS CALLED ME, I HAD TO BE HERE. JESSICA: ALYSSA DERONE, HER HUSBAND AND THREE KIDS FILLED THEIR RV WITH DONATED SUPPLIES AND DROVE ALL THE WAY FROM ASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. SHE SAYS SCHOOL, SOCCER AND GYMNASTICS CAN WAIT. >> WELL, I MEAN, THERE IS REALLY NO MORE IMPORTANT PLACE TO BE RIGHT NOW. JESSICA: THE YORK FAMILY OF 5 ALSO DROVE A LONG WAY FROM PORTLAND OREGON. >> THAT ITS OK FOR ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE TO SUFFER SO WE CAN HAVE EVERYTHING WE WANT, WE REALLY NEED TO CONFRONT THAT. JESSICA: THE YORKS ARE CHEROKEE INDIAN ONE OF HUNDREDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES THAT ARE NOW REPRESENTED AT THE CAMP. HERE TO STAND, WITH STANDING ROCK. UPWARDS OF 300 DIFFERENT TRIBES REPRESENTED HERE. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED IN HISTORY. JESSICA: MANY SAY THAT THEY WERE INSPIRED AFTER WATCHING THE PROTEST, MOSTLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS DAKOTA AXIS PIPELINE CREWS BEGAN WORK. ONCE BURIAL GROUNDS AND CEREMONIAL SITES, STANDING ROCK CONSIDERS THIS SACRED LAND, EVEN THOUGH IT IS NO LONGER THEIRS. >> I CAME TO PRAY FOR ANCESTORS DISTURBED AND ASK FOR FORGIVENES JESSICA THE TRIBE IS ALSO : WORRIED ABOUT ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS PLANS TO LAY THE PIPELINE 90 FEET UNDER THE MISSOURI RIVER, THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER. >> IF THIS PIPELINE IS BUILT AND IT BREAKS-AND IT WILL BREAK, MAYBE NOT TOMORROW MAY BE 20 YEARS FROM NOW, IT WILL BREAK. WE ESTIMATE IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO GET TO OUR FIRST WATER INTAKE. THEY ARE GOING TO PUT A PIPELI -- JESSICA: THEY DENIED OUR REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW. BUT THEY SAY CONCERNS ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE LOCAL WATER SUPPLY ARE UNFOUNDED. IN A RECENT STATEMENT, THE COMPANY'S CEO, KELCY WARREN WROTE, MULTIPLE PIPELINES, RAILWAYS AND HIGHWAYS CROSS THE MISSOURI RIVER TODAY, CARRYING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BARRELS OF OIL. DAKOTA ACCESS WAS DESIGNED WITH TREMENDOUS SAFETY FACTORS AND REDUNDANCIES, INCLUDING COMPLIANCE WITH AND EXCEEDING ALL SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS. THE ENERGY COMPANY ALSO SAYS IT'S PLAYED BY THE RULES, GETTING THE NECESSARY PERMITS FROM STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS, AND PERMISSION FROM PRIVATE LANDOWNERS. THEY CONTEND THE PIPELINE IN QUESTION IS ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING NATURAL GAS PIPELINE INSTALLED IN THE 80' >> OUR HISTORY IS RIGHT HERE. OUR ANCESTORS LIVED HERE. THIS IS WHERE WE CAME FROM. THIS IS WHERE WE SETTLED. >> NATIVE AMERICANS, INDIAN TRIBES. WE HAVE GIVEN ENOUGH, WE HAVE GIVEN ENOUGH. JESSICA A HISTORY LESSON THAT IS : BEING TAUGHT IN THE CAMP'S MAKE-SHIFT SCHOOL, FOR KIDS PASSING THROUGH. >> I WANT THE YOUNG ONES TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF THEIR PEOPLE, I WANT THEM TO KNOW WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE FORM THE EYES OF THEIR ANCESTORS. JESSICA: EDUCATION THAT SHE SAYS HER KIDS WOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN BACK HOME. >> THE BENEFIT IS THEM GROWING UP KNOWING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE DO. WE PROTECT OUR PLANET. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO. JESSICA: IT IS SOMETHING THEY SAY THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVEN WITH A COLD NORTH DAKOTA WINTER RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. >> WE CAN'T LEAVE. SOMETHING SPECIAL IS GOING ON HERE. I THINK THESE OIL COMPANIES ARE VERY ARROGANT THINKING THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE THEIR WA WE HAVE BEEN HERE LONGER THAN YOU HAVE-WE HAVE ENDURED GENOCIDE FOR 500 YEARS, WE ARE STILL HERE. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS CAMP AS LONG AS IT TAKES. AND WE WILL BE HERE AFTER YOU ARE GONE AS WELL TOO. JESSICA: FOR MATTER OF FACT, I'M JESSICA GOMEZ SOLEDAD: THANK YOU JESSICA. WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THE STORY AS IT CONTINUES, BUT FIRST. WE TURN TO NORTH DAKOTA CONGRESSMAN KEVIN CRAMER TO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF HALTING THE PROJEC NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. IS THE PERMITTING PROCESS FLAWED? IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT? >> I THINK IT IS A RELATIVE DISCUSSION, I THINK THE PROBLEM IS GOING TO BE, NOW, WHERE IT'S BECOME RETROACTIVE AND THE ADMIN'S PULLED THE PERMIT AND SAID WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW OUR PROCESS AND MAYBE WE HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN A DIFFERENT WAY. THAT'S NOT FAIR TO THE INVESTORS, THAT'S NOT FAIR TO COMPANY, IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE WORKERS. BUT PROSPECTIVELY THAT IS A RELEVANT QUESTION, THE GOVERNMENT, THE GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION PROCESS IS REALLY WHAT'S AT DEBATE. WHILE THE TRIBE PARTICIPATE IN A LOT OF THE CONSULTATION, DIDN'T COME TO ALL THE HEARINGS, THEY DID COME TO SEVERAL. I THINK THERE IS A REASONABLE DISCUSSION OF SHOULD THERE BE A HIGHER LEVEL DISCUSSION, RATHER THAN JUST THE MUNDANE PROCESS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMEN SOLEDAD: ESPECIALLY WHEN DRINKING WATER IS REALLY THE ISSUE, MAYBE THAT'S AT STAKE. WHO BEARS THE COST? WHAT ARE THE COSTS RIGHT NOW? >> WELL THE COSTS OF THE DELAY WILL BE BORNE LARGELY BY THE COMPANY. THERE IS A BIG ISSUE REGARDING THE COST OF LAW ENFORCEMENT BC -- BECAUSE NORTH DAKOTA IS GOING SEVERAL MILLIONS DOLLARS INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE FED GOV HAS NOT PROVIDED MUCH OF ANY SUPPORT THERE EVEN THOUGH IT'S A FEDERAL ISSUE ON FEDERAL LAND. WE'RE TRYING TO WORK OUT OF THAT IN WASHINGTON IN HOPES OF BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF FOR

A Native American tribe is at the center of an historic dispute in North Dakota, over an oil pipeline project they say threatens their main source of water.
The Dakota Access Pipeline would carry approximately 500,000 barrels of crude oil from the Bakken and Three Forks production area through four states, ending in Illinois. A portion of the pipeline would also pass 90 feet under the Missouri River, a water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
Ron His Horse Is Thunder, a former chairman for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, is concerned.
"If this pipeline is built and it breaks-and it will break, maybe not tomorrow may be 20 years from now, it will break. We estimate it will take about 20 minutes to get to our first water intake."
The project is temporarily on hold, after three federal agencies ordered the company, Energy Transfer Partners, to halt construction on a portion of the project near the tribal land until further review.
The tribe worries that the pipeline would also disturb ancient and sacred Native American sites. Thousands have descended on the region to support their cause.
“We're not opposed to energy independence,” Tribe Chairman David Archambault told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “This is a long history of problems that evolved over time where the federal government or corporations take advantage of indigenous lands and indigenous rights - these injustices that we're experiencing have been happening over and over and over again. What we're opposed to is paying for all the benefits that this country receives, paying the cost.”
Labor unions are pushing back, saying workers will be out of until construction resumes. According to Rep. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota’s only congressman and member of the House Committee of Energy and Commerce, there are too many parties involved.
“The issue is can we keep this btw the pipeline company, USACE and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe where we have a lot of reasonable people that I think can work it out. the challenge comes with the large out of state national entities, even international entities, whose agenda is perhaps different, clearly different from Standing Rock's who have legit questions about the proximity of the pipeline”
At issue is whether the Army Corp of Engineers erroneously granted a permit to Energy Transfers to build the Dakota Access pipeline just half a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux’s reservation under Lake Oahe. The tribe holds that the Army Corps of didn’t listen to their complaints. The Army Corps holds that the tribe didn’t attend all of the meetings, but that the tribe’s concerns were taking into consideration.
While the project undergoes a review, Cramer believes it is unfair to the company which legally obtained every permit required prior to the start of the construction phase. However, he is open to discussing how the process can be improved to avoid conflicts in the future.
“The government consultation process is really what's at debate,” Cramer says. “I think the problem is going to be, now, where it's become retroactive and the admin's pulled the permit and said we're going to review our process and maybe we have to do this again a different way.”
Check out our video for an on-the-ground look at the protest encampment and watch Cramer’s full interview here.

A Native American tribe is at the center of an historic dispute in North Dakota, over an oil pipeline project they say threatens their main source of water.

The Dakota Access Pipeline would carry approximately 500,000 barrels of crude oil from the Bakken and Three Forks production area through four states, ending in Illinois. A portion of the pipeline would also pass 90 feet under the Missouri River, a water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

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Ron His Horse Is Thunder, a former chairman for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, is concerned.

"If this pipeline is built and it breaks-and it will break, maybe not tomorrow may be 20 years from now, it will break. We estimate it will take about 20 minutes to get to our first water intake."

The project is temporarily on hold, after three federal agencies ordered the company, Energy Transfer Partners, to halt construction on a portion of the project near the tribal land until further review.

The tribe worries that the pipeline would also disturb ancient and sacred Native American sites. Thousands have descended on the region to support their cause.

“We're not opposed to energy independence,” Tribe Chairman David Archambault told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “This is a long history of problems that evolved over time where the federal government or corporations take advantage of indigenous lands and indigenous rights - these injustices that we're experiencing have been happening over and over and over again. What we're opposed to is paying for all the benefits that this country receives, paying the cost.”

Labor unions are pushing back, saying workers will be out of until construction resumes. According to Rep. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota’s only congressman and member of the House Committee of Energy and Commerce, there are too many parties involved.

“The issue is can we keep this btw the pipeline company, USACE and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe where we have a lot of reasonable people that I think can work it out. the challenge comes with the large out of state national entities, even international entities, whose agenda is perhaps different, clearly different from Standing Rock's who have legit questions about the proximity of the pipeline”

At issue is whether the Army Corp of Engineers erroneously granted a permit to Energy Transfers to build the Dakota Access pipeline just half a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux’s reservation under Lake Oahe. The tribe holds that the Army Corps of didn’t listen to their complaints. The Army Corps holds that the tribe didn’t attend all of the meetings, but that the tribe’s concerns were taking into consideration.

While the project undergoes a review, Cramer believes it is unfair to the company which legally obtained every permit required prior to the start of the construction phase. However, he is open to discussing how the process can be improved to avoid conflicts in the future.

“The government consultation process is really what's at debate,” Cramer says. “I think the problem is going to be, now, where it's become retroactive and the admin's pulled the permit and said we're going to review our process and maybe we have to do this again a different way.”